HADES I · ZAGREUS / POST-LAUNCH PC
Weapons and 24 Aspects
Check Key costs for 6 weapons, the behavior of 24 Aspects, Blood costs and hidden unlocks. Choose by attacks, reloading and defense rather than a strength ranking.
Scope: Hades I, post-v1.0 PC release. Official update announcements checked through February 2022. Current executable version numbers on each platform are unconfirmed / Source check: 2026-10-02
Weapon unlock costs and prerequisites
| Weapon | Keys required | Controls before leaving |
|---|---|---|
| Sword / Stygius | Available initially | An Attack combo and a surrounding-area Special. |
| Bow / Coronacht | 1 Key | Hold and release Attack. Special fires a fan of arrows. |
| Shield / Aegis | 3 Keys | Hold Attack to block forward; release to rush. |
| Spear / Varatha | 4 Keys | Hold Attack for a spin. Special throws the spear and recalls it. |
| Fists / Malphon | 8 Keys; unlock the first 4 weapons | Close-range combos and an uppercut. Avoid sustained punching into Armor. |
| Rail / Exagryph | 8 Keys; unlock the other 5 weapons | Attack requires reloading. Special lands after a delay. |
- The weapons other than the sword total 24 Keys. Change weapons in the courtyard, not during a run.
- After unlocking the 6 weapons, check the Aspect screen. Select a weapon and inspect its pedestal again.
Titan Blood costs across 5 Aspect ranks
- Split early Blood between unlocking Aspects you want to try and upgrading your main one. Sampling several and completing one are different goals.
- Upgrades are permanent; do not budget around a freely available refund. Check the selected Aspect and rank cost before confirming.
| Aspect position | Rank 1→5 costs | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Zagreus | 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 | 5 |
| Second | 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 | 15 |
| Third | 2 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 | 16 |
| Hidden fourth | 3 / 3 / 3 / 3 / 3 | 15 |
- Older guides' 8-second Eris bonus or 3–7 Chiron arrows predate subsequent balance changes. The entries below follow the checked reference data and official adjustment announcements.
Sword: what to do after your Special
| Aspect | What changes | Input sequence |
|---|---|---|
| Zagreus | Bonuses to both movement speed and attack speed. | A foundation for practicing regular combos and the area Special. |
| Nemesis | For 3 seconds after Special, Attack gains a critical chance. | Special → short Attack sequence to use the 3-second window. |
| Poseidon | Special hits dislodge Bloodstones from enemies. | Cast → hit with Special → retrieve Bloodstones. |
| Arthur | Heavy sword moves, 50 extra maximum Life and an aura. | Create the area with Special and reposition during the slower combo. |
- Arthur's aura is not full-screen protection. Check what happens when you or enemies leave its area.
Bow: separate Attack and Special roles
| Aspect | What changes | Input sequence |
|---|---|---|
| Zagreus | Attack critical chance improves from 3→15%. | Release a Power Shot at the charge flash. |
| Chiron | Special seeks the foe most recently hit by Attack. Arrow count rises from 4→8. | Land 1 Attack, then use Special; mark a new target when switching foes. |
| Hera | Loads Casts to release with the next Attack. | Separate Cast loading from firing; check Bloodstone retrieval or regeneration. |
| Rama | Shares Attack damage with enemies marked by Special. | Mark several enemies with Special, then charge Attack from safety. |
- A bow Dash-Strike charges faster but does not have the same base damage as an ordinary Power Shot. A rapid-fire Hammer can remove Power Shots.
Shield: facing and actions after throwing
| Aspect | What changes | Input sequence |
|---|---|---|
| Zagreus | Adds base damage to Attack and Dash-Strike. | Do not confuse it with the older damage-resistance bonus. |
| Chaos | After Bull Rush, the next Special throws extra shields. | Block → rush → Special. |
| Zeus | Special becomes a persistent disc. | Use Attack or block while the disc is out; manage where you recall it. |
| Beowulf | Loads Casts into the shield and releases them after rushing. Take 10% more damage. | Load Bloodstones → block → rush. The Cast becomes a Flare rather than its ordinary form. |
- With an ordinary shield, you cannot Attack or block while it is thrown. Do not apply the Zeus disc's behavior to other Aspects.
- The shield blocks in the direction you face. It does not provide total protection from attacks behind you or floor hazards.
Spear: recall it or rush toward it
| Aspect | What changes | Input sequence |
|---|---|---|
| Zagreus | Bonuses to Special damage, range and speed. | Aim the spear's return hit too; Attack is unavailable until it returns. |
| Achilles | Rush after Special to empower the next 4 Attacks or Casts. | Trigger the rush, then spend the bonus on the attacks you want to empower. |
| Hades | Spin Attack marks foes to take extra damage. | Spin when you have time to charge, then follow with Attack or Special. |
| Guan Yu | Heavy combos and a traveling spin that heals on hit. | Maximum Life and healing fall by 70% at rank 1 and still by 50% at rank 5. |
- Guan Yu's healing does not remove the maximum-Life penalty. Avoid charging in front of an enemy for so long that incoming hits cancel the healing.
Fists: connect Attack hits to the next Special
| Aspect | What changes | Input sequence |
|---|---|---|
| Zagreus | Dodge chance improves from 5→15%. | Check Armor at close range and leave after short combos. |
| Talos | Special pulls foes and supports Attack and Cast damage against them. | Separate focusing the pulled target from dodging surrounding follow-ups. |
| Demeter | After 12 Attack hits, the next Special gains extra hits. | Watch the charged indicator, use Special and begin the next 12 hits. |
| Gilgamesh | Extra Dashes and Maim from Dash-Special. | Maim increases both the target's damage taken and the danger of its attacks. |
- Do not stay next to a Maimed foe. You must still dodge its attacks while waiting for delayed damage.
Rail: manage reloads and blast position
| Aspect | What changes | Input sequence |
|---|---|---|
| Zagreus | Adds 4→12 ammunition. | Reload manually somewhere safe before running empty. |
| Eris | After absorbing your Special's blast, deal 15→75% more damage for 4 seconds. | Enter the Special's landing zone, receive the effect and then fire. |
| Hestia | Empowers the next shot after a manual reload. Base damage rises from 50→150. | Reload → empowered shot → move → reload. |
| Lucifer | Attack becomes a sustained beam; Special places Hellfire orbs. | Place orbs and detonate them with attacks; move when you cannot keep the beam going. |
- Simply hitting an enemy with your Special does not activate Eris's bonus.
- Hazard Bomb is a separate Hammer that adds self-damage. Do not enter its blast as safely as an ordinary Special.
Check whether a Hammer changes your attack
| Example | Change | Check before choosing |
|---|---|---|
| Bow: Flurry Shot | Makes Attack rapid-fire and removes Power Shots. | Does the setup depend on Power Shot upgrades? |
| Shield: Charged Shot | Turns Bull Rush into a projectile. | Does the setup need the moving rush? |
| Rail: Delta Chamber | Gives a 3-round burst without reloading. | Check how this interacts with Hestia's manually reloaded empowered shot. |
| Rail: Hazard Bomb | Strengthens a large explosion but adds self-damage. | Take care when combining it with Eris's need to absorb your own blast. |
| Sword: Cursed Slash | Attack hits heal, but maximum Life decreases. | Distinguish healing potential from the size of a single hit you can survive. |
- Normally you choose 2 Hammer upgrades. The Anvil of Fates in Styx removes 1 at random and adds 2, so it cannot guarantee keeping a chosen upgrade. Not every Hammer is available to every Aspect.